Composition of a Ternary Compound - Part 4, Mass Percent From Molar Masses

Greetings,

This post discusses the determination of element mass percent using element and overall compound molar masses.  This information is found using the molecular formula of the compound and the periodic table.

A particular compound will have a unique and definite composition.  In the case of a solid, the compound composition can be in terms of mole ratios or mass ratios.  A convenient way to express mass ratios of elements in a compound is with Percent by Mass (aka % Mass) of each element. The following image describes the process, in general.

 

 The lower-case letters represent the whole number subscripts of the compound formula (aka The Molecular Formula).  The resulting % Mass values can be thought of as standard relative (to 100 grams) mass quantities for a particular compound.  The % Mass results are as precise as (i.e. have the same number of significant figures as) the least precise molar mass value from whatever particular periodic table is used.

That's all for this post.  Have a good one!

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